So Long, Everwood
by HisPunkRockPrincess
Summary: Junior year has began with another new face in Everwood, and things will never be the same...
1. Torn From Forever

**Title:** So Long, Everwood  
**Summary:** Muhaha, I'm evil. After watching "The Miracle of Everwood" on 4/21 I got pissed off at Amy for not waking up and smelling the coffee that there's something seriously wrong with Colin, who I think should get into another accident and just finally die, and since I'm not a writer for Everwood [although I wish I was] and cannot write the script, I'm writing this. I'm throwing someone else into this mess to take Ephram away from Amy to show what she really has. This takes place in the future, everyone's a junior, and it's the beginning of the year. Colin and Amy are still together [gag me] and somehow Ephram has remained friends with them and Bright.  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my characters and my ideas ;] I'll be making a lot of references to the "So Long, Astoria" CD from The Ataris, which was the inspiration for the title of this fic. It's a good CD, but this isn't a music review website. 

**Prologue - Torn from Forever**

"I want to stay in this moment forever." 

Held close to the man that she loved, Ryan whispered those eight words to really just herself. After years of ups and downs, she was finally content with the fact that, yes, she was stuck in this town, but now she had no intentions of going anywhere anytime soon. As long as she was held here in Adam's arms, she'd never want to go anywhere. 

"You can. I love you, Ryan, and I'm never going to let anything come between us." He leaned down and kissed her lips gently. Every time he kissed her it was like the first time every time. The feeling and fireworks never got old. Adam was the world to her, and she truly believed he was her soulmate. 

She smiled as she snuggled even closer to him. She closed her eyes and took a deep breathe, and she gently fell asleep to the rhythmic beating of his heart and the smell of his cologne. She was the happiest girl in the world. She never wanted it to change. 

--4 Months Later— 

_"…Sometimes this all feels like a dream, I'm waiting for someone to wake me up from this life…"_

Ryan rested her head against the window of the car, with her The Ataris CD blasting in her ear. Resting on her lap was the most recent photograph of her and Adam, taken just a week before. She couldn't look at it anymore without tears forming in her eyes. The scenery outside the window was so unfamiliar, so foreign, and so far from home, from everything and everyone she loved. 

"Ryan, honey, are you awake?" 

She could barely hear her mother's voice over her music. She pressed pause and removed one of side of her headphones away from her ear. She raised an eyebrow at her mother's reflection in the mirror. 

"We're here." 

And just at that moment Ryan looked out the window and read the sign, **"Welcome to Everwood."**


	2. An Alliance Is Formed

**Chapter One - An Alliance Is Formed**

"You know, Ephram, I didn't think it was possible, but you look even more dead today than usual." 

Ephram Brown threw a glance at his father, whose sad attempt at humor was not what he wanted to hear this morning. He'd been up half the night tossing and turning. It was only a week into the new school year and he hadn't fully adjusted to the idea of getting up before the crack of dawn. He stood, resting his arms on the counter, trying to wake himself up. Delia was sitting to the left of him, happily eating her father's cooking, which Ephram had to admit, had gotten better over the past year. 

There was the sound of a horn outside and Ephram groaned. The trio, consisting of the Abbott children, Bright and Amy, and the miracle child, Colin Hart, was here to pick him up. Somewhere in-between him hating them and them loving him, he just accepted his role as part of their gang. Besides, he knew that this would be the only way he would actually get to spend time with Amy. He'd never admit it, but he just hadn't found a way to let her go yet. 

"That's my ride. Later." 

Ephram grabbed his bag and headed out the door before he could hear anything his father had to say. Amy had gotten her license over the summer, and was now the one driving them all to school. Her small car seemed to fit them better than Bright's truck, which was ready to bite the dust anyway. He climbed into the back with Bright, who had fallen back asleep in the short ride to the Brown residence 

"And I thought I was tired," Ephram said. 

Amy and Colin laughed from the front of the car. Ephram's eyes met Amy's in the rearview mirror, and even after all this time, there was still that tension in the air. He lowered his gaze and cleared his throat. 

Colin turned around, "Hey, we've got another new student. She starts today, she's in our class." 

"Word really does travel fast around here," Ephram replied. 

"She moved across the street from us," Amy chimed in. "I think you're going to like her, Ephram." 

"What makes you say that?" 

"Oh I don't know. I heard she's from the East coast. She moved here with her mother and stepfather, but for some reason, her little brother remained back east. Her mom's an accountant, apparently sold her firm and has retired to little old Everwood, sounds very similar to your father. She looked all punk rockerish and had pink streaks in her hair too." 

Ephram raised an eyebrow. "How do you people find out all this information without even talking to the person? I mean, I've been here a year, and I still don't know how you knew everything about me before I knew any of you existed." 

"If it makes you feel any better, Eph," Colin said, "I didn't know anything." 

"Dude, you were in a coma." 

All three laughed at Bright's comment, who conveniently woke up just as they pulled into the school parking lot. Months after Colin's surgery and recovery, it was nice to know they could all joke about it. The four gathered their things and exited the car. 

Ephram didn't really feel like hanging around the happy couple and Bright this morning, so he went straight to his locker. He walked with his head down and as he looked up he saw someone at the locker next to his, which had been empty. And he knew right away it was the new girl that Amy had been talking about in the car. She was medium height, maybe only one or two inches shorter than him. She had long dark hair, but the pink streaks Amy had said she had were now deep red. She had a CD player held in one hand, with the headphones resting around her neck. The music was loud enough that Ephram heard it as he approached her. 

"Who are you, and what did you do with the vacant space that was the locker next to mine?" 

She turned to look at him and he saw her piercing blue eyes, which seemed full of anger and fire. "That depends, who are you, and who told you that you were funny?" she snapped. 

"Sorry," Ephram said, "I was just trying something a little different then "Hi! Welcome to Everwood!" and maybe, make you laugh." 

Her facial expression softened. "How did you know I was new?" 

Ephram smiled. "Word travels fast. You'll learn. I was new last year. I learned. And to think, I thought I'd be the only new resident of Everwood for the next decade. I'm Ephram. Is that So Long, Astoria?" 

"You listen to the The Ataris?" she said, with a curious look now on her face. 

"Among other things. That's a good CD, but I prefer their early stuff. They've mellowed out through the years." 

"Yea, I do too. But, it's all I can listen to since I've been here. Reminds me of home." 

"You still never told me your name." 

"I'm Ryan. Ryan Bailey." 

The bell rang. "Well, Ryan, I must be going now. I'm sure I'll be seeing a lot more of you." Ephram turned and walked away, smiling. 

As she watched him walk away, it was at that point that Ryan smiled. The alliance that had just been made was about to turn their worlds and everyone in them 360 degrees. 


	3. You're Green, Amy

**Chapter Two – You're Green, Amy**

Ryan sighed, almost dreamingly, as she watched the retreating figure of this boy, Ephram. But the second she finished that sigh, she remembered the blond haired, honey eyed boy back east who still had the rights to her heart. Adam had been great. He had always promised he wouldn't let anything get between them, and he had so far, kept up with that promise. He agreed to deal with this new, long distance relationship. And now she cursed herself for even letting herself see potential in a guy like Ephram. 

_Not that it would matter if I was single_, Ryan thought, _because unless the girls of Everwood are completely blind, there's no way he's available._

Ryan shut her locker and started to look for her homeroom classroom. 

Ephram got halfway to homeroom, at the end of the hall, because he came to the realization that Ryan would be in his homeroom. He turned around quickly and his eyes met hers. I've never seen eyes like those, he thought. 

"Hey!" he called down the hall. "Ryan, this way!" 

Ryan quickened her pace to catch up with Ephram. Soon, she stood next to him and sent him a questioning gaze. 

"My last name is Brown," he began to explain, answering her silent question, "and since there's like a population of two in this town, you'll be in my homeroom." 

"Two? Has anyone ever told you that you exaggerate?" 

Ephram raised an eyebrow. "You know, you remind me of me." He said it as a plain statement, in no real cocky attitude. In the past ten minutes or so, he was starting to realize this girl was more and more like him with every sarcastic remark out of her mouth. 

"Oh, sarcastic and conceited. Wow. I hope you're not the example of a typical student here in Everwood, or I might have some problems," Ryan said. Her idea of flirting was through sarcasm. It was also her idea of being honest and playing it off as joking around. Sarcasm was the strength behind her wall. She was intrigued in Ephram, but she wasn't about to let on too soon. 

"Look," Ephram began, "I'm sarcastic, yes, conceited, no. I try to be funny, but it's not really working on you, so I give up." 

"Chill, no need to be dramatic," Ryan said as they entered homeroom. "And besides, you just met me; you can't give up on me just yet." And she actually cracked a smile at him. 

"Ephram!" 

Ryan turned her head to find where the female voice had come from. She found it. It had come from a girl with long hair, who was smiling at Ephram, but gave her a rather nasty look. _I'm guessing the girlfriend_, she thought. 

Ephram headed to the back of the classroom and Ryan followed. He turned to her and said, "Ryan Bailey, meet Amy Abbott. I'm surprised you haven't met her already. She's usually the first on the sunshine welcome wagon." 

"Ha. Ha. Ephram," Amy said. "Hi Ryan, I'm Amy." 

Yea, I got that, Ryan thought. "Hi. You … you live across the street from me, right?" 

"Yea, I do," Amy replied. "Do you have your class schedule with you? I'd really like to take a look at it." 

Ryan reached into her bag and handed her the piece of paper as Ephram and her sat down in the row next to Amy, with Ryan sitting behind Ephram. The two began to discuss music, realizing that they had extremely similar tastes. 

Amy glanced over at the two from the corner of her eye. _You're green, Amy. I wonder if it shows_, she thought. Jealousy was running through her veins at a quickening pace. She needed to calm herself down, she was getting almost angry. _Ephram has every right to be flirting with this girl right in front of me. I'm not supposed to be jealous. I have Colin. I'm in love._ She glanced over again. _I just never expected it to hurt._

"Ephram, she has the same schedule as you," Amy stated, the tone of jealousy could be heard in her voice. She cleared her throat and started again. "So that means you have three classes with me, five with Colin, and two with Bright!" Think she bought it? 

"Who are they?" Ryan asked. _Am I supposed to know who they are already? What does this girl take me as, a mind reader?_

"Well, Colin is my--" Amy began before she was interrupted by their homeroom teacher. 

"Class, we have a new student today. Her name is Ryan Bailey. Ryan, would you please stand up…" 

"Get ready for 20 questions," Ephram whispered. 

Rolling her eyes as she stood up, she looked down at Ephram, and noticed for the first time his eyes, so deep and intense. There was something in his eyes that was calling her and as Ephram looked up at her, she couldn't help but forget she ever knew a boy named Adam. 

All it took was fifteen minutes for this alliance to already begin to form into something more. 


	4. Too Soon Forgotten

A/N: Hey, I realized something. Everwood sort of reminds me of Dawson's Creek. It's a little different. Okay, the Joey is Ephram, and the Dawson is Amy because in the first season, Joey was in love with Dawson, but Dawson was with Jen (who could be Colin in Everwood) The Pacey of Everwood could be Bright, because in the first season, Joey and Pacey were friends, but only underneath constant bickering. Hmm? Yea. I was really bored today and I thought I'd entertain you all with my thoughts since this chapter is kinda short. I just hope they don't do what they did in Dawson's ... they ruined the whole Dawson/Joey plot too soon. I want Ephram/Amy to wait until at least halfway through next season ... Anyways ... onto the story ... 

**Chapter Three – Too Soon Forgotten **

Homeroom bell rang and it was time for Ryan to begin her first day. She grabbed her bag and was surprised when she saw Ephram waiting for her. 

"Come on," he said, "we have the same schedule, so I guess you can tag along for the day." 

"I don't need to tag along," Ryan began. "but if you insist." The two began to leave the classroom before Ryan remembered Amy. "Wait about your girlfriend?" 

Ephram stopped and gave her look a like she had ten heads. "Girlfriend?" He followed Ryan's gaze to Amy, who was still in her desk, getting all her books together, and he laughed out loud. "Amy? _My girlfriend?_ Wow, you got the wrong impression." 

Ryan's heart jumped. "You mean, she's not your girlfriend?" 

"No, no," Ephram said shaking his head in almost a sad way, "she's not. You'll meet her boyfriend, Colin, later." 

Ryan couldn't help but be curious. "But you want her to be your girlfriend?" She looked over at Ephram. They were walking down the hall towards their lockers. 

"Has anyone ever told you that you're nosy?" 

Ryan shrugged as she opened up her locker. "Only a couple times. But that didn't answer my question?" 

"That was the whole idea," Ephram said, pulling out the books he needed. 

"Okay, you already seem to have this 'I'm deep, sarcastic and angry at the world' thing going for you, now you want to be mysterious?" 

"I'm angry at the world? Who was the one who nearly gave me verbal whiplash when I just tried to be nice." 

Ryan raised an eyebrow, a habit she did way too often, as she shut her locker. "Yea, well, if you had been uprooted and moved cross country, leaving behind everything you loved, I think you'd be a little angry too." 

"Too soon you forget," Ephram stated, "that I did the same thing last year." 

"Why?" Ryan inquired, now leaning up against her locker. "Wait, never mind, that's crossing your 'I'm mysterious too' line." 

Ephram shut his locker and threw his bag on his shoulder. "Yea, well, we all have our secrets. Let's go." 

_That we do_, Ryan thought as the two walked down the hall. The two continued to joke around with their sarcastic remarks, and Ryan knew that she had made her first friend in Everwood. Her intuition was killer, and it was screaming at her right now, that a lot of things were going to change. 

Amy Abbott had been heading towards Ephram's locker, but before she reached it, she watched him and Ryan turn and head towards their first class, which Amy was in with them. _Ephram always waited for me_, she thought. She stood, still. _He's forgotten about me already._


	5. Awkward Silence

A/N: Don't mind the Avril Lavigne reference. I don't mean to piss anyone off. Just couldn't think of anyone else. 

**Chapter Four – Awkward Silence**

A week had passed, and Ryan had adjusted to school. It helped having Ephram around. She never got lost and always had someone to talk to. She learned to put up with the stares she got; as Ephram explained she was the closest thing to punk Everwood had ever seen since an Avril Lavigne poster. And that wasn't punk to Ryan. Then again, she wouldn't call herself punk either. 

If there was one thing she missed, besides Adam, it was the fact that back home, she was surrounded by a group of people who accepted her. They were like her. They dressed alike, acted alike, and had the same musical taste. She wondered if she'd ever go to another "Battle of the Bands" again, if she'd ever be in a band again. She missed the band. It had only been a week and half, but everything she once knew seemed to slipping further and further away with each passing minute. 

Ryan was trying extremely hard to pay attention, but she was distracted by her thoughts. She glanced over at Ephram, who was sitting next to her, with his head down, obviously asleep. She gave a half smile. She liked Ephram. Not in the "I wanna have your baby" way, but in this "I wanna figure you out" way. He had been the first person to extend friendship to her and the only person she could fully tolerate. 

She was spending time with Amy, Bright, and Colin, through Ephram, but she just knew she didn't belong with them. Bright's IQ seemed lower than her dog's and Amy and Colin were too lovey-dovey for her. Watching them broke her heart and made her miss Adam even more. Plus, she didn't think Amy liked her too much. 

Finally, the bell rang. The day was over. She reached over and shook Ephram from his sleep. He looked up, with that lost puppy expression that Ryan found endearing. "I think you have a little drool on your chin" 

Ephram glared at her with this "I just woke up, don't mess with me" look. He grabbed his stuff and the two headed towards their lockers. 

"Are you still coming over?" Ryan asked. 

It was obvious Ephram still hadn't fully awoken from his nap and he looked at her questioningly. 

"Earlier in the week, you said you would come over when I invited you." 

"Oh yea," Ephram said, suddenly remembering. "I've got to go home first, but I'll be over." 

"Good," Ryan said. She shut her locker and threw her messenger bag around her shoulder. "Okay, I'm off. Just come in when you come over, the door's open, and no one will be home but me." 

Ephram nodded as he watched her walk away. He shut his locker and walked towards Amy, who had noticed was standing about twenty feet away, waiting for him. Bright and Colin had a basketball meeting after school, so it would just be the two of them for the ride home. 

"What's with the grin?" 

Ephram hadn't noticed he was smiling. All he knew is that he was thinking about Ryan and how he would be in her house, with her, alone, in less than two hours. "Grin? Am I grinning? I didn't notice." 

"I did and I bet I know why," Amy stated. "You have a date with Ryan." 

"One, it's not a date, and two, how did you know?" 

Amy looked at him like he was the stupidest person in the world. 

Ephram laughed. "Oh yea, that's right, I'm Amy Abbott and I know everything," he said, trying his best to imitate her voice. 

Amy hit him playfully with the notebook she was carrying. "Actually, I overheard. And you know, I'm starting to think you spend too much time with Bright." 

"And we all know spending time with Bright is dangerous for one's brain cells." 

Ephram's comment sent the two in a fit of laughter. The duo had reached the car and by the time they were inside, Amy still had to calm herself down before she could drive. 

"For some reason, that joke about Bright seemed a lot funnier than any of the other 10 million we've said," Ephram said. 

Amy looked over him, with a rather serious look on her face. "Probably because we haven't joked in awhile. You haven't been around much in the past week. I'm in withdrawal of your sarcasm." 

And Ephram just looked back at her. The two stared at each other, in an awkward silence that only grew over time. It was as though both were reliving the memories of when they first met, back in the days they spent a lot of time together, and maybe, Ephram hoped, that day she kissed him. Colin still didn't know. It was a mutual understanding between the two that he wouldn't. 

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, Amy cleared her throat and turned her attention to starting the car and backing out of the parking lot. The ride home was spent in that same awkward silence.


	6. Her Acoustic Song

A/N: In this chapter, you're going to get to know Ryan a little better. I know the chapters seem to be getting progressively shorter and shorter, but don't worry. I won't let them get _too_ short. 

**Chapter Five – Her Acoustic Song**

Ryan pushed open the door of her "home" and looked around and as she expected, no one was home. She walked to the kitchen and threw her bag onto the counter. She walked over the to the fridge to grab something to drink and saw a note from her mother on the door. 

_Ryan,  
Hey honey, your father and I are staying in Denver for the night. See you tomorrow.  
Love, Mom_

Ryan grabbed the note and tore it into pieces as she felt the anger start to rise. _That man is not my father_, Ryan thought. She hated how her mother referred to her stepfather as her biological father. It was like Ryan's real father hadnever existed. 

She threw open the refrigerator door and reached for a Pepsi can. She popped open the top and took a sip as she sat down at the counter. She sighed. 

Ryan looked around. It had only been a walk and a half, this place was still so foreign, like she was spending a few nights at someone else's home. This wasn't her home. It was seemed cold, with it's contemporary interior decorating her mother probably spend a fortune on. It didn't have the same homey feeling as her old house. This will never be home, she thought. It didn't help that no one was ever home but her. Her mother and stepfather spent most of their time out, usually in Denver. _Why didn't we just move there? It would make a lot more sense._

Ryan couldn't help but sigh again. She stood up, and grabbed her soda and bag and headed upstairs to her room. She walked through the door, and smiled. Her room was her sanctuary, the only room in the entire house her mother hadn't attacked with interior design. She was allowed to decorate it in anyway she pleased. 

She threw her bag onto her bed and glanced over at the picture of her and her father. She was no more than three, and she sitting on top of a Frisher Price slide, a grapefruit in her mouth, with her father holding her from behind. _Those were the days_, she thought. 

She walked over to her closet and slide open the door. She reached for her acoustic guitar and picked it up from its resting place. She walked over and sat down on the edge of her bed, running her hands over the smooth surface of her guitar. This one was her baby, for lack of better words. The finest acoustic she had ever seen, it was the last present she received from her father. 

Ryan adjusted so she could comfortably hold the guitar. She began to the play a song so familiar, she could play with her eyes closed. As she closed her eyes and began to sing, she was taken away. The music she made was releasing her soul, and she could see everything from back home like they were sitting all around her. 

Her father is next to her, singing the words with her. Adam is on her other side, his hand on her back, looking at her adoringly. Her little brother is behind her, jumping up and down on her bed, acting immaturely as always. Her band members are in the space off to the corner, with their instruments, not playing though, just watching. Her friends are spread across the floor, just watching her, and nodding along with the beat. 

The tempo picks up a little and her voice becomes a little higher. The images inside her head become more real. So real, she can hear her father's voice and feel Adam's hand on her back. She feels vibrations in her bed as though her little brother is really there, jumping up and down just like he used to. She can see every detail of all the clothing and jewelry everyone is wearing. 

The song is drawer nearer to the end, but Ryan doesn't want to stop. If she stops and opens her eyes, she's knows she's still going to be in Everwood. Her friends will disappear, the band with disappear, her brother will disappear, Adam and her father will disappear and she'll be left with the nothing that she started with. 

Where the song should have ended, it didn't. Ryan just kept playing notes she was making up as she went along. Somehow, she was forming a melody that seemed beautiful to her, and yet, she knew she'd never remember it if she tried to play it again. She had stopped singing, and now had focused all her energy on picking each note carefully. If she had her electric guitar, she would have stood up and played an angry chord or two, but with her acoustic, she had no choice but be mellow. 

She was completely lost in her music and hadn't heard the front door open and slam shut. She hadn't heard her name be called from downstairs or the sound of the footsteps coming up the stairs. Her eyes still tightly shut, she didn't see Ephram, who had been standing in her doorway for the past fifteen minutes, staring at her with admiration and awe.


	7. The Bond Grows

**Chapter Six – The Bond Grows**

When Ephram reached the front door of Ryan's house and went to knock, he remembered what she said. "Just come in" It felt a little weird, just walking into someone's house, but he shrugged, and opened the door. He was a little surprised by the interior design, they had just moved here, he expected boxes still left to be unpacked, but the house looked like they had always lived there. 

He walked a little bit downstairs, in the living room and the kitchen, but there were no signs of life. "Ryan!" All he got was silence. He started to walk down a hallway, before he heard the sound of someone playing a guitar. He followed the sound to the stairs and decided to head up the stairs. 

Once he reached the top of the stairs, he was met with a long hallway. "Ryan?" The music had gotten louder and he followed the sound to a room at the end of the hallway. It was then he heard someone singing. He peered his head over the doorway and saw Ryan, sitting on her bed, playing guitar and singing. 

Her long hair had fallen over her shoulder and was framing her face. She had her eyes closed as he watched the way her hands moved effortlessly over the tiny strings. He was in awe. He was also speechless at her beautiful voice. He didn't want to disturb her, so he just stood in the doorway and watched her for what seemed like hours. 

Finally, she stopped playing. She opened her eyes and looked at him with the saddest look on her face. Then she jumped up, nearly dropping her guitar. "Ephram! How long have you been standing there?!" 

"Not long, maybe a couple minutes," Ephram lied. 

She walked over to her closet and stuck the guitar back in place. She turned, ran her fingers through her hair. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you wait. You don't have to stay in the doorway, you know, you are allowed in." 

"It's cool," Ephram said as he walked over and sat in the chair at her desk. "I didn't know you played guitar." 

Ryan sat down and laid back on her bed. "There's a lot of things you don't know about me." 

Ephram took a look around her room. It wasn't what he expected. It was almost … girly, with its pink walls and lavender accents. He would have never expected this. She had a whole wall covered in posters and magazine articles she had cut out. The other walls had a few things here and there. There were picture frames all around the room, with smiling faces Ephram didn't know. On top of her dresser was a mass collection of trophies and medals. 

"Oh, how stupid of me, I should give you the grand tour or something," Ryan said, shooting up from her reclined position. 

"It's okay," Ephram said, "I kinda had my own trying to find you. What are all those for?" He pointed to the collection. 

Ryan looked over. "Basketball, mostly. There are a couple academic awards and a few for talent shows, but the only thing I was ever good at growing up was basketball." She got up, and walked over to them. "Seventh grade, we went first in our CYO, and first in the entire diocese. I went a Catholic school, by the way. CYO is Catholic Young Organization. I scored twenty-five points in a crushing defeat, for the other team I mean. And that's the MVP trophy I got for that year." She held a couple trophies up as she continued to explain, "These three are the same as those, except this was eighth grade. And those six or seven are from a recreation league I played in every summer." She held up a few medals, "These are from various tournaments through the years. I was a CYO All-Star, once. You could only go once, so I wasn't picked until eighth grade. I guess it was a graduation present from my coach. But I got to play a basketball game at the First Union Center, right before a Sixers game, and wow, I'm probably boring you with these details." 

"No, no," Ephram said, "You must have been awesome. Are you going to play for school?" 

Ryan looked down at the floor. "No, I don't think so." 

Ephram didn't want to push the subject. "How long have you been playing guitar?" 

"About five years," Ryan replied. "But enough about me, tell me more about you, Ephram." 

Ephram shrugged. "I don't know how much there is to say. I'm Ephram, I've lived in Everwood for the past year now, I have a father and a little sister, and I play piano." 

"You better not tell me you're the next Mozart," Ryan said, "Or you'll just confirm my conceited comment from when I first met you." 

And the two laughed. The seriousness of their conversation was gone with Ryan's sarcasm, but it was a silent understanding that it was too soon to be sharing the deepest parts of their lives. The trust had just started to form and with time, it would grow. For now, they listened to music and talked about the lyrics and the differences between bands. They laughed and joked and let the afternoon pass them by. 

Ephram felt himself being drawn more and more to Ryan. She was a funny, beautiful girl who was making him forget all about Amy. And Ryan, well, she forgot about Adam when she was Ephram and thought of herself a single woman. The two were falling for each other and it was obvious. Everything was going perfect, until Adam called. 

A/N: Ah, I couldn't resist a little cliff hanger. Hehe =D


	8. Adam's Phone Call

A/N: Wow, I love you guys. Thanks for all the awesome reviews. You are all the inspiration to get the next chapter written. I'm starting school again on Monday, so I'll try and give a chapter a day [I've been doing at least two the past couple days] 

**Chapter Seven – Adam's Phone Call**

In the middle of another fit of laughter, Ryan's phone rang. She picked up the phone, still laughing. "Hello?" 

"Hey baby," came from the extremely familiar voice on the other end. 

Ryan suddenly stopped laughing. She normally would have been so happy, but she wasn't. She didn't know how Adam would react to Ephram being at her house. She had told him about him, but she never said they were going to hang out. 

Ephram looked at Ryan and it seemed as though she didn't want to be talking to whoever was on the other end. Her mom? Her dad? Friends from home? He was curious, but he didn't ask. 

"Hey, Ryan, I'm going to go to the bathroom," Ephram said as he stood up and headed towards the bathroom she had off her room. He shut the door and looked around. More girly decorations. 

"Ok," Ryan said to Ephram, "Hey, Adam." 

"Who was that?" 

Ryan looked over at the closed bathroom door. "It's just a friend from school." 

"It was a guy. Is it that … guy who's name I can't remember or say anyway?" 

"Yes it is. Look, Adam, I can't really talk--" 

"Oh, so he's more important than talking to me?" 

Ephram was standing up against the bathroom door. He probably shouldn't have been listening in, but he couldn't help it. _I wonder who this Adam is_, he thought. He was about to open the door, until he heard Ryan's voice get a little louder, in an angrier tone. 

"No, it's not that! I just can't talk right now! Look, I'll call you later. I don't want to be rude to my guest." Ryan knew the distance was already taking a strain on their relationship. Before, Adam wouldn't have cared if she was hanging out with a guy. He was used to it. But now, she was so far away from him and with guys he didn't know and he was jealous. 

"Whatever. Have fun with your new boyfriend." Click. 

Ryan sighed as she hung up the phone. It was at that moment Ephram walked out of the bathroom. He took one look at her and she seemed a little mad and a little upset. "Hey, you okay?" 

Ryan nodded. "Yea, just …" She didn't want to finish the sentence. She looked at this boy she had just met. She just couldn't let herself open up to him, no matter how trustworthy he seemed. 

"What?" 

"Long distance relationships," Ryan said. And with that, she saw this sudden look of hurt sweep across Ephram's face. _Oh no_, she thought. _No, no no. _

"You have a boyfriend?" The hurt was evident not only in his face, but in his tone of voice. 

She looked him straight in the eyes. "Yes, I do." 

Ephram couldn't believe it. Again, he had been led in by a beautiful girl just to have them tell him that they had a boyfriend. First, Amy had a vegetable and now Ryan has nothing but a voice on the phone that's 2000 miles way. _Why did she invite me over? Why did she seem interested? Why did she look at me in that way?_ So many thoughts were racing through his head, but one thing was sure, he had to get away from her. 

"You know," Ephram began, "I just remembered, I'd promised Delia, my little sister, that I'd save her from my dad's cooking, so I should probably go." He turned and headed towards the door. 

"Wait, Ephram, I'll walk you out," Ryan said, as she started to follow him. 

He put his hand up to stop her. "No, it's okay." And with that he walked out of her room. Ryan stood there, feeling horrible. She went over to her bed and looked out the window. She sat down, pulled her knees to her chest and heard the front door slam. She watched Ephram walk down the steps of the porch and get on his bike and ride away. 

She laid back and stared at her ceiling. _What have I done? I've gone and probably lost my only friend in this damn town._ She reached back and grabbed one of the pillows behind her head and threw it across the room, knocking over a few things along the way. 

She reached over to her nightstand and opened the drawer. She pulled out a plain, black notebook and opened to the first available page. She grabbed a pen that was sitting on her nightstand and began to write. This was a Friday night she'd spend all alone in this big, empty house, with no one. 


	9. Broken Hearts

**Chapter Eight – Broken Hearts**

Ephram rode away from Ryan's house, in the opposite direction of his house. He didn't know where he was going, but he didn't want to be near Ryan and he didn't want to go home, so he just peddled. He was still in some form of shock. He couldn't process his thoughts; they were running too fast across his head. 

He needed to find a place where he could think. And he couldn't think of anywhere better but the park. So he quickened his pace and was there in faster than he realized. He rode over to a bench, where he laid his bike up against it. He sat down, hunched forward, with his head in his hands. 

He didn't know what to do anymore. As time went on, he had lost pretty much all faith in the opposite sex. Growing up, he always had his mom. When it came to girlfriends, he had a few back in New York, but nothing serious enough to actually last. They usually got fed up with him and left. It didn't matter though, because his mom was always there to catch his fall, and she had caught every fall. 

And then she died. The very most important person, let alone woman, in his life was gone forever. Everything from there was whirlwind. Before he knew it, he was leaving New York and moving to some town in the middle of nowhere. 

He had Delia. Delia had never let him down, but he couldn't forget it was Delia's vote from his father's bribe that had made them move here in the first place. If he had never moved here, he wouldn't have ever met Amy and dealt with all that heartache and never met Ryan and never dealt with this latest disappointment. But he didn't blame Delia, he loved her too much. But he knew, eventually Delia was going to grow up and get married, and another guy was going to take her away, marry her, change her last name, and his little sister wouldn't be his to care for anymore. 

So, when he came here, he met Amy. He fooled himself with thinking he had a chance with her. She got what she wanted, a surgery from The Great Dr. Brown, and dropped him cold. For a little while anyway, until her precious Colin befriended him. But, somehow, despite the obvious awkwardness, her and Colin were the closest things to best friends that he had. Colin wasn't that bad of a guy either. Even Bright and him had formed some kind of friendship. They didn't insult each other anymore at least. 

He started junior year with no expectations. He still had feelings for Amy but he had accepted his role in her life. And then Ryan came along. She was just like him in so many ways, and she seemed interested in him, genuinely interested in him. But, then, she doesn't tell him she has a boyfriend, and he has to find out when that boyfriend calls. He saw the look on her face, she didn't want to talk to that boyfriend and when she looked at him, he saw that she didn't want to hurt him. But she did, in an involuntary way. 

So, it was safe to say, woman weren't fair to him. He didn't mind being alone, he was independent anyway, but anytime he got interested in someone, it was always a heart crushing event when he was let down again. He wondered if he'd ever find somebody to settle down with, not necessarily right now, but when he was older, and wanted to have a family of his own. He wondered if he'd ever have a family. He wondered if he'd spend the rest of his life alone, with no one, just memories of his mother and all the "could have beens" with the girls in the past. He also wondered if he'd die a virgin, but that was another subject all together. 

He lifted his head up; surprised to see his hands were wet from tears. He didn't really want to cry, so he leaned back and lifted his head to look at the sky, in hopes the tears would go backwards, back into the depths of his soul, where they usually stayed. Instead, they continued to fill up his eyes, until they spill over and ran down his cheeks. 

So, on this Friday night, two souls who were connected before they met, were crying out for each other. Both alone, with breaking hearts. 


	10. A New Start

**Chapter Nine – A New Start**

The weekend went by, and Ryan spent it trying to reconcile with Adam and writing songs. She hadn't heard from Ephram since he had left angry on Friday. Now, she had to see him, for the first time since then. She just happened to be running late that day, so he was at his locker before she was. She took a deep breath as she got closer. He had his headphones on and obviously didn't see her coming. She brushed past him, trying to get to her locker on the other side. 

As she brushed up against him, Ephram suddenly got angry. _Is she doing that on purpose? Trying to rub it in a little more_, he thought. He was tempted to look over at her, but he resisted the urge, slammed his locker shut and started to walk away. 

When his locker slammed, Ryan cringed inside. As he turned to walk away, she called out to him. "Ephram, wait!" She reached out and grabbed his arm. And as he turned around, a look of pure rage on his face, she pulled away quickly. All he did was shake his head at her, and walked away. 

Ephram couldn't talk to her. He knew he was treating her horribly, but he couldn't help it. What she had done had caused a complete breakdown, he couldn't be near here. 

Amy had watched the whole thing. The look on Ephram and Ryan's faces as Ephram turned and walked away. She wanted to run up to Ryan and start hitting her, because obviously she had done something to upset Ephram. But she didn't. Instead, she stood in front of Ephram's path. 

"Ephram, what's wrong? What happened?" 

Ephram looked up at Amy. He didn't really want to see her either. The car ride had been silent this morning. He couldn't hold back anymore. "Do I just wear a sign that says 'Hi, my name is Ephram Brown, if you are a beautiful girl, feel free to toy with my heart, let me think you are interested in me, only to crush me when you tell me days later that you have a boyfriend?'" 

Amy stood there shocked. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know if there was anything she could say. He just shook his head at her and walked into homeroom. 

Homeroom was awkward. Ryan was writing something in a notebook, and kept glancing up at Ephram every few moments. She needed to talk to him, but she didn't know where to start. So, she continued to work on the song lyrics she had started the night before. Ephram was sitting straight up in his desk, just staring straight ahead. And Amy just glanced at the two of them, back and forth. 

The ten minutes of homeroom seemed like forever, but finally the bell rang. Ephram quickly grabbed his things and walked out as fast as he could. Amy tried to catch up with him, but Ryan was way ahead of her. 

"Ephram, please, just hear me out," Ryan said as she walked behind him. "That's all I'm asking, and then you don't ever have to talk to me again." 

Ephram stopped, and turned around, a blank expression on his face. Ryan came up to his side and the two began to walk. "Look, Ephram, I know I gave you the wrong impression. I know it made it seem like I was interested in you. And, to tell you the truth, I was. When I first met you, I forgot about Adam, that's why I didn't tell you. And it seemed like I was making at least one friend here in this stupid town, so I didn't want to ruin that. I should have been honest up front, I'm sorry, I did that wrong. So, I don't know what else to say, I'm truly sorry. If you want, could we start over?" 

Ryan looked into his eyes and he melted. He couldn't help it. Plus, he could hear how truly sorry she was in her tone of voice. "It's cool. I should have asked or something before I got my hopes up." 

Ryan stepped in front of him and held out her hand, "Hi. My name is Ryan Bailey. I just moved here from New Jersey with my mother and stepfather. I have a boyfriend back home and I play guitar. And I just want a friend." 

Ephram grabbed her hand. "I'm Ephram Brown. I've lived for a year. I'm originally from New York. I have a little sister, I have no girlfriend, and I play piano. It just so happens that I'm looking for a friend. Oh, and I've been told that I'm conceited." 

Ryan laughed at him as they returned to their side by side position. She rested her elbow up on his shoulder as they walked. "You know, Ephram, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship." 


	11. Forever Ended Today

A/N: Okay, so my cable modem is completely fried so the only time I can get online now is on my mom's laptop, which is only a half hour to hour everyday ... so hopefully, I can keep up with the story. I've been writing a lot but I just can't post as often. I hope to be back online within the next week 

**Chapter Ten – Forever Ended Today**

A month and half passed and Ephram couldn't believe how close he had become with Ryan. He had been able to trust her so easily, and she would listen to him for hours at a time. With her parents often away, he spent a lot of time with her, just hanging out in her room. The two had tried to teach each other their instruments, but both decided one instrument was enough. 

They hadn't stay just excluded with themselves. In fact, it was the five of them, Ephram, Ryan, Amy, Colin, and Bright. They'd spend every weekend together, trying to find new things to do. The past month and half had been great, and Ephram couldn't believe he was actually happy in Everwood. He actually considered all four of those people his friends, and said it without hesitation. 

He still had feelings for Ryan and they just kept growing over time, but he had accepted that she had Adam. He hadn't forgotten that day she had apologized, and admitted she was interested in him. He kept it in the back of his mind, and for some reason, had a lot more hope for this situation than he did with Amy. 

So, it was a Wednesday night, he was sitting in his room, trying to finish up some science homework, when the phone rang. In the past, he would have let it ring, but Ryan called every night now, and had this habit of calling him at the same time, at just a little past nine. He picked up the phone, "Hello?" 

"Hey." 

Ephram could sense something was wrong right away. She could fool everyone with her smile and they all believed her, but he had come to pick up on the little hints that showed she wasn't okay. And whenever she was sad, her voice was a little less sarcastic and a little quieter. 

"What's wrong?" 

"How do you do that? You know, I tried extra hard tonight to fool you, but I can't get anything past you. Damn you, Ephram Brown," Ryan said. And then she let out a sigh. "I know I have no right to ask this, but, is there anyway you can come over? I'm home alone, no surprise, and I really need to talk to you." 

Ephram didn't question why she couldn't just talk to him on the phone. "Sure, I'll be right over," he said as he slammed the phone down. He closed all his books and grabbed his jacket as he ran down the stairs. 

"Ephram, where are you going?" 

_Damn_, he thought. He had tried to get out unnoticed. "Look Dad, I wouldn't normally do this and I don't really care if you say I can't go, because I'm going to anyway, but Ryan just called me and she sounded upset and asked me if I could go over there. So I'm going to go over and make sure she's okay. I'll be home early. Is that okay?" 

Even though Ephram and his father had come to form a decent, actually good relationship over the past year, he still was unsure of how his father would react. Instead of protesting, though, Andy Brown just nodded his head at his son, as though in understanding. Ephram was going to help someone he loved, and if it was one thing he had learned about his son, nothing would stand in his way when it came to that. 

So, Ephram ran out the door and hopped on his bike and rode over to Ryan's as fast as he could. When he got there, he left his bike on the front lawn and ran onto the porch, through the front door, and straight to her room. 

He pushed open the door and there she was, sitting with her guitar on the edge of her bed. She looked up and gave him a half smile. "Thank you, for coming. You really didn't have to. I didn't expect you to." She put the guitar down behind her. 

"Nothing would have stopped me." 

"You're a good friend, Ephram," she said. 

"So… what's up?" 

"I was wondering, if you could maybe tutor me in math?" Ryan asked, trying to avoid answering the question. 

"Try again." 

"Okay, I was thinking tonight, about something. This is our junior year, so we have our prom this year and since I don't really want to go with anyone else, I was wondering if you would go with me? I'm planning ahead, I know, and you probably wanted to have an actual date, but I figured it was either you or Bright and since I'm afraid Bright might step on my feet when dancing with him, I chose the better option." Ryan smiled at him. 

"Of course I will. And I was going to ask you anyway," Ephram replied. "But try again, I know there's something else on your mind." 

Ryan gave him a look. "You know, I hate you!" she said in a playful voice. "I can't keep anything from you." And then, she looked down, trying to find the way to put this. 

"Ryan, what is it?" Ephram came and sat down next to her, put his arm around her shoulders. 

Ryan looked up and into his eyes. With a laugh she said, "Adam and I broke up." 


	12. A Past Full of Pain

**Chapter Eleven – A Past Full of Pain**

Ephram was shocked. One, he couldn't believe they broke up; they seemed like they were actually doing well with the distance, and two, he couldn't believe she was laughing. She was laughing at the break up of the one she loved. 

"Wow," he said. "Are you okay? And answer me, seriously." 

Ryan nodded and smiled. "Yea, you know, I am actually happy in a way. This is a huge relief. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my chest and I can finally breathe again. It's sad, in another sense. He was my last real tie to everything back home. My friends have slowly stopped calling and I make no effort to call them. But I've realized, this place is becoming home. And Adam knew that. I needed to be cut from the last strings that keep holding me back. We realized we still loved each other, but because of the distance, we weren't in love with each other anymore. So, it's a mutual ending, and we agreed to still be friends." 

"Well, at least it wasn't bitter," Ephram said. "Was he 'the first love?'" 

Ryan stood up and walked over to her dresser and picked up a photo. She walked back over to Ephram and showed him the picture in the frame. It was of her and some guy, with brown hair and brown eyes, dressed formally, posing. She was in a long, blue dress with her hair all done in curls. "No, he was." 

"Who is he?" Ephram looked at the picture, he was getting jealous. 

Ryan smiled. "His name was Jared. He was my best friend. We met freshmen year, and we had every single class together, kinda like us. We were instant friends and before we knew it, we were best friends. He was a football player, but he wasn't the typical jock. He played guitar too, and he was in the band with me. He was the best. One of the most amazing and beautiful people I had ever met. He was there for me after my dad died and I probably wouldn't have gotten though it without him." She was tracing the outline of his face in the photo with her fingers. 

"Then sophomore year came and everything changed. Soon, I realized that I was in love with him. He never knew. To the outside world, we were like brother and sister, but inside, I knew I was so deeply in love with him. And then, during winter training for football, he started getting dizzy at practices and then after one workout, he blacked out. He kept blacking out for a week before he finally passed out at home, and being an only child, his overprotective parents immediately got him medical attention. He wasn't on any kind of drugs; he was a good kid, probably the only player that wasn't taking some kind of pill…" 

Ephram looked at her, and saw she was still smiling. "What happened? What was wrong with him?" 

"Well, the doctor's took a blood test. They thought he was anemic. They also recommended an EKG, because they thought there was possibility that there was something wrong with his heart. He got the blood test and the test came negative. The doctor said he was a perfectly healthy teenage boy. They never got the EKG." Ryan swallowed. "The decision to not get the EKG cost Jared his life. There was something wrong with his heart, I don't remember what, I was in denial and didn't want to accept it. Before I knew it, his health started deteriorating rapidly. After battling whatever what was wrong with him for two months, he finally gave up. He died a little over six months after my dad. He didn't see the end of sophomore year. If they had just gotten the EKG, he'd probably still be alive." 

"Oh my God, Ryan, I don't want to say 'I'm sorry' but I am, you shouldn't have had to go through that." Ephram couldn't believe she was still smiling. 

"For the longest time, I blamed myself. I was the only one who knew about the blacking out, and I didn't say anything. Then I spent all this time thinking about how it wasn't fair. He had so many dreams, and so many things left to accomplish. The band was always the biggest dream, someday getting famous and touring all over the world. You know the band got its first real big gig two months after he died? He didn't even get to see that. Of course, I started going out with Adam about a month after Jared's death, and he just made everything okay," Ryan said, as she turned to look at him with that same smile. "I know you're wondering 'How the hell is she still smiling when she lost her father and her best friend in a six month period?' and the truth is, my father lived a long life, and fought till the end. I just wished I had taken the time to get to know him more than just those seven months before he died. And yea, it's not fair that Jared died when he just sixteen years old and didn't get to experience all these things I'm experiencing, but I know in a way he is. He's experiencing these things through me. I swear I feel him watching me, making sure I'm okay. Jared was a beautiful person and he wouldn't want me to mourn his death, but rejoice his life. So, that's why I've chosen to tell you this story, Ephram. Thank you, for listening to me." 

Ephram pulled her into a hug, and she rested her head on his chest. He just held her close and felt her body warmth. "Anytime, Ryan, anytime." 

Ryan felt safe, in this cold November night. Whenever he was over, Ephram brought this house life. She hated being there all alone. And being there in his arms, she didn't want him to let go. She looked up at him, into those eyes that made her melt. She had continued to fall for him over the past month and half and now, there was nothing holding her back. "Ephram, I--" 

Ephram put a finger to her lips, silencing her. For some reason, he knew what she was going to say. "Shh, don't speak," he said, as he lowered his head and kissed her gently on the lips. And Ryan kissed back and the two fell backwards onto her bed, wrapped in each other's arms and not breaking their lip lock. 

A/N: Dun, dun, dun. Hehe, the very expected hookup has arrived. By the way, I know I never explained the circumstances of Ryan's father's death. So, basically, he had cancer, since she was six, and it kept going back and forth in remission. Her father was a workaholic and never home, like Ephram's dad, and she had a very bad relationship with him. Then they finally started to get along and form a relationship and the cancer came back for the final time. And yea. Ephram knows all about it. Sorry I forgot to somehow add it as an actual part of the story. Don't worry – you'll get to find out about the absent little brother in a future chapter. He pushed open the door and there she was, sitting with her guitar on the edge of her bed. She looked up and gave him a half smile. "Thank you, for coming. You really didn't have to. I didn't expect you to." She put the guitar down behind her. 

"Nothing would have stopped me." 

"You're a good friend, Ephram," she said. 

"So… what's up?" 

"I was wondering, if you could maybe tutor me in math?" Ryan asked, trying to avoid answering the question. 

"Try again." 

"Okay, I was thinking tonight, about something. This is our junior year, so we have our prom this year and since I don't really want to go with anyone else, I was wondering if you would go with me? I'm planning ahead, I know, and you probably wanted to have an actual date, but I figured it was either you or Bright and since I'm afraid Bright might step on my feet when dancing with him, I chose the better option." Ryan smiled at him. 

"Of course I will. And I was going to ask you anyway," Ephram replied. "But try again, I know there's something else on your mind." 

Ryan gave him a look. "You know, I hate you!" she said in a playful voice. "I can't keep anything from you." And then, she looked down, trying to find the way to put this. 

"Ryan, what is it?" Ephram came and sat down next to her, put his arm around her shoulders. 

Ryan looked up and into his eyes. With a laugh she said, "Adam and I broke up." 


	13. Snowed In

**Chapter Twelve – Snowed In**

Ephram woke up and had no clue where he was. He sat up and looked around, his vision blurred and all he saw was pink. He rubbed his eyes and finally, everything came into focus. He was still in Ryan's room. He had fallen asleep. The last thing he remembered was being all wrapped up with her, after a pretty heated make out session. He glanced over to the clock and it read 10:45. _Shit_, he thought. _I never went home and now we're late for school._ He looked down at Ryan, who was still sound asleep. He brushed some hair away from her face. _She's so beautiful_, he thought. _I don't want to wake her._

Somehow, he had managed to slip off the bed without waking her. He stood up and started to think of reasons to explain this one to his father. He walked over to the window and then saw his answer. There was a good nine inches of snow on the ground and it was still falling. He smiled. He looked back over at Ryan, and his smile grew. He walked over and grabbed her phone, knowing he'd have to call his father. He dialed the numbers and heard the ring on the other end. 

"Hello?" 

"Dad, it's me." 

"Ephram! Thank God you're okay! I've been worried sick ever since I saw you never came home last night. Are you at Ryan's?" 

"Yes, I am. I'm really sorry I didn't come home but we were up talking and we didn't realize how late it was and when we did, there was already about three inches on the ground, so I figured you'd want me to stay here rather than venture home." 

"I'm just glad that you're okay. Is Ryan and everyone there okay?" 

"It's just me and her. Her parents are in Denver." 

"So, wait, you two are there alone?" 

"Dad, don't freak. We're not going to give you grandchildren just yet." 

"Actually, Ephram, I wasn't thinking that, but now that you bring it up, you better not. I just meant do you have enough food and blankets and everything?" Andy asked his son, "And what do you mean 'just yet?'" 

Ephram saw Ryan turning over in her bed. "Look, Dad, we're fine. I've got to go. Don't worry. I'll call later tonight." He hung up the phone before he could hear his father's protests. He placed the phone back on the receiver and walked back over to Ryan, watching her sleep for a little bit. He realized he was hungry and thought Ryan would be too once she woke, so he leaned down, kissed her forehead and headed downstairs to find something for breakfast. 

It was only ten minutes or so later, when Ryan rolled over and woke up. She opened her eyes slowly. She felt her heart drop in disappointment when she saw Ephram wasn't there beside her. _He probably left after I fell asleep. It was late and we do have school. OH SHIT! School!_ Ryan looked over at the clock. _11:15! I never turned the alarm on last night!_

She threw herself out of bed and landed on the floor. _How graceful_, she thought. She looked at herself in the mirror, still wearing the same clothes she had the day before. She headed over to her closet, but stopped, when her nose caught a tickle of a smell that seemed an awful lot like someone was cooking a feast downstairs? 

Ryan was too curious to just get changed and ready before finding out the culprit. She walked out of her room, hurried quickly down the stairs, and turned to the kitchen. And once she saw who it was, she smiled. But then she remembered about school. "Ephram! What are you doing?!" 

Ephram nearly threw the pancake he was flipping across the room. "You know, we could have had pancake residue to clean up. What does it look like I'm doing?" 

"Cooking," Ryan replied. "We fell asleep last night, we're late for school, how do you think you have time to cook this … this meal big enough for twenty people! And how are you going to explain this to your father?" 

Ephram laughed at her. "Look outside, dumbass." 

Ryan looked out the window and saw all the snow. "Wow," she said, as she walked over to the window. "It's so much … more beautiful here." She put her hand up against the window, in complete awe. Suddenly, Ephram's arms were around her waist, and he rested his head on her shoulder. She turned her head slighty, with a devilish look on her face. "Ephram, let's go play in the snow!" 

Ephram smiled. "We're in the middle of a blizzard, Ryan. Plus, we have a meal to eat." He kissed her lightly and the two walked over to the table, where Ephram had everything set up. 

"What are you? Mr. Housewife?" Ryan said playfully. "Looks like I'm going to have to be the pants in this relationship." 

"Speaking of that," Ephram began. He looked at her, wondering where this was going to go. So far, it didn't seem like she regretted anything that had happened. She didn't reject his affection this morning. And he knew he didn't either. 

"No, not now. We'll talk later. For now let's enjoy this wonderful smelling and looking meal," Ryan said. "And wait, did you call me a dumbass earlier?" 

"Did I? No, I don't think so. Couldn't have been me." 

And with that, the two began to eat, talking about everything but what had happened the night before. Ephram was okay with that, though, because the snow was still falling at a steady pace, and he knew they were going to have plenty of time to talk. 


	14. Tempers and Jealousy Flare

A/N: Back online, baby. And I was informed Bright is a senior this season, so apologies on that. I had no clue what year he was and I remember him saying that he got held back to Delia, so I made him a year older than Amy, yet in the same class as the gang, due to the held back factor. Oh well, now I know. Sorry about that ;] Thanks for all the awesome reviews too! 

**Chapter Thirteen – Tempers and Jealousy Flare**

"Okay, Mom. I'll see you in a couple days hopefully." Ryan hung up the phone. "Well, they are stuck in Denver, and are planning to come home in about three days." 

Ephram was sitting at the counter, a cup of cocoa in his one hand. Ryan walked over and leaned up against the counter, her arms resting on top. It was only the early afternoon, and they had ate breakfast, watched a little TV, watched a movie, and had a small lunch. They still had yet to talk about what happened, and Ephram couldn't take it anymore. 

"Ryan, we need to talk." 

Ryan sighed and nodded. "I know. I've just been avoiding it." 

"Do you regret it? I mean, it's right after Adam and frankly, I'm not going to be your rebound." 

He said it so assertively, Ryan got a little offended. "Do you think I'm using you as a rebound, Ephram?" she asked, already getting defensive. 

"Well, the thought crossed my mind, especially since you've been putting off talking about this." 

"It's not like that. At all. I can't believe you would think that I would use you like that. The truth is, I've already had my rebound. My rebound was the past almost two months being spent away from Adam. I realized, I can live without him. I let myself fall for you. This time in-between has been my rebound. I think deep down I knew Adam and I were over when I left," Ryan said, walking over to Ephram. She took his hand. "Ephram, I want this. Now the question is, do you want this?" 

Ephram turned the chair around and pulled her closer to him. "I do." He leaned over and kissed her. 

When they pulled back, Ryan laughed. "I feel like we just exchanged vows." 

"Way to ruin the moment," Ephram said. 

Ryan shrugged. "What can I say?" She smiled at him. "Well, I think I need to shower, so I'm going to go do that. Think you can keep yourself entertained for twenty minutes or so?" 

Ephram sighed, "Well, I guess." And then he smiled. 

"Okay," she said as she kissed him again. "I'll be quick. And no peeking!" She smiled at him and removed herself from his arms and headed upstairs. Ephram watched her until she was out of sight. He needed to tell someone the good news. He couldn't keep it to himself. 

He went and got the phone and dialed a familiar number. 

"Hello?" 

"Hi, is Amy there?" 

"Ephram?" 

"Yup, the only and one. What's up? You okay?" 

"I'm okay," Amy said, happy to hear his voice. "Luckily, it's only me and Bright trapped in the house." 

"You consider being locked up in a house with Bright lucky?" 

"It's better than having my parents here as well. Where are you?" 

"I'm at Ryan's." 

Amy's heart dropped and she suddenly got a bad feeling. It had been a month and half, and she did like Ryan and considered her a pretty close friend. Once she had found out that Ryan had a boyfriend, she didn't see her as a threat to taking Ephram away. Amy knew it was selfish, because she wanted to keep both Colin and Ephram, Colin as her boyfriend, and Ephram as her best friend. 

"How did you get there?" 

"I was here last night and we kinda fell asleep and when I woke up, we were snowed in." 

"What were you doing there?" 

"Her and Adam broke up. She called me and asked me to come over." 

That's my lunch that's about to come up, Amy thought. "What happened?" 

"What is this, Amy, 20 questions?" 

_Calm yourself down Amy_, she said silently to herself. "No, sorry, I'm just curious." 

"Amy, I have to tell you something. Ryan and I, well, we're going out now." 

"WHAT?!?!" Amy almost dropped the phone. "But, Ephram, she just broke up with her boyfriend that she was in love with, aren't you worried at all?" 

"For once, Amy, I'm not. I have a great feeling about this." 

"Are you sure, Ephram? I don't know about this." 

"Can't you be happy for me?" 

"I just don't want you to get hurt." 

Ephram was getting angry. He had expected her to have a more positive reaction. "I can take care of myself. I know what I'm getting into. I told you because I thought I'd get some reassurance on this, but I guess I called the wrong person. Look, I've got to go." He hung up the phone. 

"Ephram, wait!" All Amy heard was a click from the other end. She could feel tears form in her eyes as she slammed the phone down. She turned around and saw Bright standing there, with a concerned look on his face. 

"Who was that?" he asked. 

Amy felt the tears starting down her cheeks as she ran past Bright, muttering "No one" and heading upstairs to her room. Bright waited until he heard the door slam until he moved. He wanted to know who had caused his baby sister to cry. He went over to the phone and scrolled through the caller ID to the most recent number. Once he had it, he picked up the phone and called the number.


	15. The Deeper Side of Bright

**Chapter Fourteen – The Deeper Side of Bright**

Ryan had just gotten out of the shower when the phone rang. She ran over to grab it, still soaking wet and covered in nothing but a towel. "Hello?" 

"Ryan?" 

"Bright?" 

"Did you just call here?" he asked, in an angry tone. 

"No," Ryan replied. "I just got out of the shower. Why?" 

"Well, someone did, and now Amy's upstairs in her room crying." 

"Well, it wasn't me. Bright can you hold on for like two minutes? I need to put clothes on." Ryan placed the phone down on her dresser as she dried herself off. She went into her drawers and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. She threw on her clothes. She went over to her dresser and grabbed the gel. She took a little bit and just scrunched her curls a little bit. There was no use straightening it or putting color in it. She walked back over and picked the phone up. 

"Okay, sorry, I'm back." 

"Is there anyone else there?" 

"Yea, Ephram's here," Ryan said. And then it hit her. Ephram had called Amy and told her about them. "Okay, wow this makes sense now. It was Ephram, and I bet I know what he told her. Bright, Ephram and I are together now." 

"It's about freaking time," Bright said. 

"What?" Ryan said with a laugh. 

"Colin and I had a bet on how long it would take for you guys to get together," Bright replied. "Okay, now I know why Amy's crying. I'm going to talk to her. Hey, Ryan?" 

"Yea?" 

"Be good to Ephram," Bright said, with sincerity. "He's been through a lot." 

Ryan smiled. Bright wasn't as stupid or as mean as everything thought. "I will." 

And with that, Bright hung up the phone. He made his way up the stairs and to Amy's closed door. He could hear her crying through the door, and he knocked. "Amy, it's me. Look, I know why you're crying, so you might as well open up." 

"Just go away." 

"No," Bright said sternly. He placed his hand on the doorknob and turned. She hadn't locked it. He pushed open the door and saw his baby sister curled up in her bed. 

"I thought I said to go away." 

"You did. And I said no." Bright walked over and sat on the edge of her bed. "Look, Amy, you have to let Ephram go." 

"You don't know what you're talking about. I don't like Ephram. I love Colin." 

"Yes, you love Colin, but part of you is wrapped up in the idea of Ephram. Amy, you have to stop being selfish, you can't have both. And you're not going to lose him to Ryan. He's still going to be there for you as your friend. Why do you think he's hung around with us? It's not because of me, that's for sure; you know we aren't best friends. He's stayed because of you. He knows you'd want him to be there too. But, you've got to let him go. He deserves to be happy too." 

Amy sat up, her sobs had stopped. For once, her brother said something that made sense. "I just, I just, I wasn't ready for this." 

"Yea, well, be happy for him. Don't lose him as a friend because you're jealous you can't have two guys at once." 

Amy looked down and sighed. "You're right." 

Bright raised an eyebrow and gave a half grin. "Did you just say I'm right?" 

Amy smiled. "I did." 

"I think the world is changing, Amy," Bright said sarcastically. "Now you gonna be okay?" 

Amy nodded, "Yea. Thanks Bright." 

"It's nothing. I'm your brother. It's what I do," Bright replied. "Now, Sponge Bob is on, so I'm going to go back downstairs." 

Amy laughed. Her brother hadn't changed that much, but she saw forms of maturity starting to show through. She laid back down and glanced over to the pictures on her nightstand. There was one of her and Colin, and the other one was one of Ephram at one of his piano recitals. Just because Bright told her what she had to do, didn't mean she was going to. And the tears came back as she rolled over. A part of her heart was broken, and there was no repairing that. 


	16. Write Me A Song

**Chapter Fifteen – Write Me A Song**

Ryan came downstairs to find Ephram sitting on the couch, watching some soap opera. "Comparing your life to theirs?" 

Ephram turned around. Ryan looked completely different without her straight, color streaked hair and punk clothes. "Wow." He couldn't think of another word to say. 

Ryan gave him a look. "What?" 

"It's just, you look different. Not bad different. Just different." 

Ryan walked over to the couch and sat down next to him. "Should I take that as a compliment?" 

"If you want to," Ephram replied with a grin. Then he reached over and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her lightly. "Of course it is." 

Ryan rested her head on his chest. "Good." They sat there for a few minutes, until Ryan broke the silence. "You know, I think it's time for you to take a shower because you're really starting to stink." She pulled away from his embrace and started to wave her hand in front of her nose. "Whoa, you really stink!" She laughed at him. 

"You think you're funny?" Ephram said as he tackled her backwards onto the couch. "Do I smell now? Oh look, you're close to me. You're going to smell too! I guess you're just going to have shower with me!" He started to tickle her as he laughed too. 

"Ephram! Oh my God!" Ryan managed to say between laughing. "Please! Stop!" 

"You never should have told me you were ticklish!" Ephram said. "But I'll stop." He laid there on top of her for a few moments, before he got up. "So, what am I going to wear if I shower? These are the only clothes I have." 

"I have clothes. Yes, I have guy's clothes. I buy guy sweatpants and shirts really big, so they should fit you. Come on." 

The two headed upstairs to Ryan's room. She opened one of her drawer's and pulled out a pair of black sweatpants and a black Boxcar Racer shirt. "The shirt was my friend Drew's, and he was taller and bigger than you, so it'll definitely fit. Towels are in there, the usual. You need anything, just yell." 

Ephram nodded as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Ryan stared at the door for a few moments, contemplating whether or not to try and walk in on him, but decided against it. She smiled to herself. She walked over to the picture of her and Adam that was next to her bed. She picked it up and placed her fingers onto her own face. Her own smiling face. _Those were the only six months I can say I was honestly happy in that town_, she thought, remembering the town she grew up in and left behind. She had hated that town was a passion, and wanted to get out. It all changed once she had Adam. Then it all was taken away. 

But now, Everwood was slowly becoming home. She knew it. Adam was that last real connection back east, and now he was gone. The last string was cut. She turned the frame around and opened the back. She took out the picture, held it in her one hand, while putting the back of the frame back on. She placed the empty frame down in its original place. She walked over to her closet and opened up a box, full of old memoirs of former lovers. She placed the newest photo into the collection. She glanced back over to the empty frame, knowing a picture of her and Ephram would rest there soon. 

Before closing her closet, she grabbed one of her electric guitars. She wouldn't linger around her room for Ephram, instead she went downstairs, guitar in hand. The next step in this new relationship, would be to write a song to go along with it. 


	17. Remembering The Past

**Chapter Sixteen – Remembering The Past**

"You're incredible." 

Ephram's voice broke Ryan from her rhythm. She looked up, and smiled. "I could get used to hearing things like that." He went in to kiss her, but she stopped him. "I need to talk to you about something." 

"Anything." 

"Bright called, when I got out of the shower. He said someone had called there, making Amy cry. What happened?" 

Ephram sat down on the couch next to her. He sighed. "I told her about us. I expected her to have a happy reaction. She freaked out, saying how she didn't want me to get hurt." 

"What happened between you two? In the past? And don't sit there and tell me nothing like the 10 million other times before. I'm not stupid. I can feel the tension whenever you two are near each other, like there's something unresolved." 

"It's complicated." 

Ryan put the guitar on the coffee table, and pointed to the still falling snow. "I have time." 

"When I first moved here, she was the first person to be nice to me. I, being the idiot that I am--" 

"You're not an idiot." 

"Whatever. Anyway, I thought she was interested in me. Why I let myself think that, I don't know. Well, turns out, the original part of her plan was to use me to get to my father to perform a surgery on Colin. She never planned to become friends with me. Well, that happened and it was just so complicated. We kissed a couple times, but once Colin was back, my name might as well have been forgotten. It broke my heart, over and over again. But it doesn't matter; I think things have worked out now." 

"Wow," Ryan said, quietly. "Not fun, is it?" 

Ephram simply shook his head. 

Ryan wrapped her arms around him, and he pulled her close. The two sat in silence, holding each other, remembering the past, but anticipating the future.


	18. You're Greener, Amy

**Chapter Seventeen – You're Greener, Amy**

Ephram and Ryan spent three days stuck in Ryan's house, until finally Andy showed up one morning to find the two teenagers asleep on the couch. He smiled, and saw the two had managed to not only resist killing each other, but had discovered the feelings he knew they both had since the beginning. 

And so it was back to routine for the two, as the following morning, it was time to return to school. 

Ryan was just heading downstairs as Amy beeped the horn from outside. She quickly ran out the door and to the end of the driveway, where Amy was waiting. She climbed into the back seat, where Bright was already assuming his usual sleeping position. She just smiled and shook her head at him. 

"Why does he sit in the back? Do you and Colin threaten him or something," Ryan asked, with a smile. 

"No," Amy said, "He just knows. He's not entirely stupid." 

There was certain coldness in her tone, and it sent a chill down Ryan's spine. _Brr, ice princess_, she thought. She turned her attention out the window as they drove to the Hart residence. 

Colin got in the front passenger seat, gave Amy a kiss, and then turned around to Ryan. "So, I hear your first snowed in experience was interesting…" he began, suggestively. 

Ryan smiled, and a red tint came across her cheeks. "I hate this small town crap! Nothing stays a secret!" 

"Please, everyone and their mom knew it was going to happen." 

"Everyone and their mom?" 

Colin shrugged. "I don't know. Things just pop into my head sometimes." 

Ryan laughed. "But if you must know, it was interesting." 

Through this whole conversation, Amy remained silent. Colin's attention was diverted enough; he didn't notice she was gripping the steering wheel so tight her knuckles were turning white. She kept her gaze on the road, and tried everything to concentrate on her driving. She pulled up into the Brown's driveway and beeped her horn. 

Almost instantly, Ephram was outside and walking out towards the car. Amy couldn't believe her eyes. He actually looked like he had tried to make himself presentable. He looked awake and … alive. He was wearing a smirk on his face, and Amy couldn't help but smile at how cute he looked. Her smile quickly faded however, when Ephram got into the back and she watched in the rearview mirror the smiles and looks him and Ryan gave each other. 

"Hey you two lovebirds," Colin said. 

Just like Ryan, a certain red tint spread across Ephram's cheeks. He took Ryan's hand and laced his fingers were hers, and the two smiled at each other. 

"Okay, don't just sit there and give each other puppy eyes, what happened?" 

Ephram raised an eyebrow at Colin. He just shook his head at him. 

Ryan laughed. "We had hot sex every single night, man, he just blew my mind." 

_Keep it cool, Abbott_, Amy thought. She pulled into the school parking lot, parked the car, turned it off, and quickly got out, slamming the door behind her, before anyone else could even finish gathering their things. 

Colin quickly got out of the car, and tried to follow her, but she was moving too quickly. He just stood by the car, looking stunned and confused. 

Ryan and Bright stood next to each other, knowing exactly why Amy had stormed off. Ephram soon joined Ryan's side, an arm around her waist. 

"I'm gonna," Colin began, nodding towards to the direction that Amy had ran of into and the other three nodded. 

They stood there in silence for a few moments, before the three of them made their way towards the school doors. 


	19. The First Argument

**Chapter Eighteen – The First Argument**

_Focus. Don't cry. Pull yourself together._

Amy kept repeating those three sentences in her head, trying everything not to cry. She was sitting on one of the flights of stairs in school, elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. 

_I'm supposed to be happy for him_, she thought. _I'm supposed to paint on a smile, love Colin, and be happy for him._

She looked back on her reaction when he had first told her. She cursed herself for being so harsh. She hasn't spoken to him since, and everyday she didn't talk to him, she died a little more. It was a twisted pain that just kept on twisting, never stopping. She looked back at snapping at Ryan. She felt guilty. The girl had been nothing but nice to her and all she could do was treat her badly, because she was taking Ephram away. And she looked back on her silence in the car and her retreat that probably made her out to look crazy to everyone else in the car. _I'm supposed to be happy_, she reminded herself. 

A tear fell from her eye. "Then why the hell is it not working?" she asked herself out aloud. 

"What's not working?" 

Amy raised her head and her eyes found Colin's. His eyes filled with love, worry, concern. Normally, this would have comforted herself. These were the eyes that used to make everything okay, used to make her melt. _How come I'm as solid as a rock now?_

"Colin! How did you find me?" 

He shrugged and smiled. "I followed my heart." 

Amy got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. _Wait, this is my boyfriend, aren't I supposed to be happy with that comment? I feel like I'm going to puke. _

Colin sat down next to her and added. "Plus, this school isn't that big, so you had to be somewhere in here, I saw you walk inside." He took one of her hands and held it in-between his own. "What's wrong, Grover?" 

_What's wrong? What's wrong?!? What's wrong is that I think I'm realizing I made the wrong decision._ Amy sighed. "It's nothing," she managed to squeak. 

"It's obviously something, Ame, you act okay even when you're not, so this has to be something serious." 

Amy pulled her hand away from Colin's. "I don't want to talk about it." 

Colin felt hurt and angered by her withdrawal. "Amy, come on, you know you can tell me." 

Amy stood up. "I told you, I don't want to talk about it!" 

Colin stood up beside her, and tried to take her into his arms. He didn't want to have what would be this inevitable fight. "Okay, okay. I give up. Let's go find Bright, Ryan, and Ephram." 

Amy shook her head and wiggled out of his embrace. "No! Don't you get it? I want to be alone." She looked him into his eyes for a few moments, until she couldn't bear to see the hurt in his eyes that she was causing. She diverted her gaze, past him, but only to see Ephram, not to far away, walking towards them. 

She looked back at Colin, back at Ephram, back to Colin, and back to Ephram. She just shook her head and walked over in the direction Ephram was coming. She wasn't planning on stopping, but to ignore him and keep walking, until she felt his hand grab her elbow. 

"Amy, you okay?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice. 

She looked at him and felt angry. "I'm fine. Why don't you go find your girlfriend? I'm surprised you left her side anyway" she said, bitterly. 

"Amy.." Ephram began. 

"Forget it," she said, as she walked away. 

A few moments of silence passed. Ephram felt a presence beside him. 

"Any luck?" 

Ephram shook his head. "No." 

And Colin and Ephram stood in silence, confused, both staring in the direction Amy had walked away, until the first bell rang. 


	20. You're Not Half Bad

**Chapter Nineteen – You're Not Half Bad**

Ryan and Bright were leaning up against a pair of lockers and sighed at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed. 

"That was a little strange," Bright commented. 

"ESP!" Ryan said, sarcastically. 

Bright looked a little confused at first, but then he smiled and laughed. "Sorry, it's early." 

Ryan sighed again. "I wonder what's taking so long." Her mind was still on Ephram, who she had urged to go talk to Amy. "Bright, has this ever happened before?" 

"No," Bright replied. "She's always been able to hide it before, but I've always known. I might be a little slow, but if there's one thing I sort of know, it's my sister." 

Ryan looked at the floor. _He was crazy about her for so long_, she thought. _What if I lose him to her?_

Bright placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. He's all yours." 

"How did you…?" Ryan started. "Okay, stop it! Get out of my head!" Ryan paused for a moment, and looked over at Bright. "Is he really?" 

"Look, I'm not the best person to ask. Ephram and I haven't exactly gotten along in the past, and it's not like we actually have a conversation that doesn't consist of "What movie are we seeing tonight?" or "What time is Amy picking me up?" but, he just seems into you, like he was with Amy," Bright said. 

"Like he still is with Amy," Ryan muttered under her breath, looking back down. 

Bright shook his head. "No, not anymore. This is going to kill me to admit, but he's not a bad guy. He wouldn't have gotten into this relationship if his thing for Amy was still what it was." 

"That's not saying that it's still not there." 

"Would you stop being so negative about this?" Bright said. "He's yours. Just forget about everything else." 

"Sorry, I'm trying," Ryan replied. 

"Good. Keep trying. Try harder." 

Ryan looked back up at him and smiled. "You know, Bright, you're not half bad." 

Bright gave her a look. "Is that a compliment?" 

"Yea, I think so," Ryan said. She tucked some of her long hair, which had light blue streaks today, behind her ear. "No offense, but you're not exactly the kind of person I would have been friends with back home." 

"I probably would have been scared of you," Bright admitted honestly. 

Ryan laughed. "Why?" 

"I don't know, try your clothes, your hair, the way you carry yourself. You look like you kick my ass." 

Ryan just continued to laugh. "I wonder what forms such unlikely bonds." 

"It's the air," came a familiar voice from behind her. 

Ryan turned to see Ephram standing there, looking somewhat defeated. She reached out and took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "How'd it go?" 

"She's pretty upset," he replied. "I just don't know about what." 

Ryan and Bright exchanged knowing glances. It won't be long till he figures out, they both thought at the same time. 

"Yea, well, she'll come around," Bright said, breaking the silence. "Okay, I'm going to go to my locker; I'll see you two lovebirds later." He turned and walked away. 

"Ready to get back to this?" Ephram said, putting his arm around Ryan's waist as they turned and walked in to the opposite direction. 

"No," she said solemnly. "I want to go back to those three days, when it was just the two of us."


	21. But You, On The Other Hand, Are

**Chapter Twenty – But You, On The Other Hand, Are**

Ryan had decided to follow Amy to the library during lunch, in hopes to try and talk to her. What she was going to say, and how she was going to say it, she didn't know. She figured she'd just go with her flow like she always does. _But I always end up talking in circles_, she thought. 

She sat at a table behind Amy, and had managed to so far be unnoticed. She watched the other girl, who appeared to be studying. Ryan was one of learning through observation, and she could tell Amy wasn't studying. She was trying to make it seem like she was studying. Ryan could tell by the constant shift of her body and back and forth page turning that she wasn't. 

Ryan pulled out a notebook and opened to a random page. She pulled out a pencil and just started to doodle. To talk to her or not to talk to her, that is the question. Since when is my life a Shakespearean play? Ryan didn't even notice she had doodled Ephram's name across the entire page, putting their two names together in every way possible. 

"I never imagined you to be the kind of girl who did that." 

_Amy. Shit._

"I… I…" Ryan stuttered, trying to pick one random excuse that started floating in her head. "Yea, I was lost in la la land." _Good one_, she thought. 

Amy sat down in the chair across from her. "Ephram has that effect on people." 

"You would know," Ryan said. _Inside voice! What happened to inside voice?_ Ryan pressed so hard onto her pencil that the point snapped. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." 

Ryan began running the pencil between her thumb and index fingers of both hands. _You've never been one for sugar coated things, tear her apart_, her inner voice said. "I think you do." She paused for a minute, as that inner voice kept shouting. "In fact, I know you do." 

Amy felt her pulse quicken and the anger boil. _Don't let this girl beat you._ "Oh really, how would you know? You've been here a whole two months. The only person you really know is Ephram. I bet you don't even remember my last name." 

"As a matter of fact, _Abbott_, I do," Ryan replied angrily. "Look, I followed you here to talk to you. I don't want to fight with you. Face it, we're going to have to get along." 

"What makes you think that?" Amy said. "What if Bright, Colin, and I just stopped hanging out with you?" 

Ryan raised an eyebrow and simply said, "Now, do you _really_ want that to happen?" 

"I still don't know what you're talking about." Amy sat back in the chair and crossed her arms. 

"Fine, don't believe me," Ryan said, "Maybe you'll listen to Bright." 

"He doesn't know what he's talking about either." 

"Oh really? What makes you say that?" 

"As you may have noticed, my brother isn't exactly the smartest person in the whole world." 

Ryan snapped the pencil. "That's the exact opposite of what you said this morning." 

_She's got you._ Amy sighed in defeat. She leaned forward and put her head down on her hands. "I just can't lose my best friend." 

Ryan suddenly got an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach. She remembered being in the same position anytime Jared had a girlfriend. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you guys were that close. I knew you were close, but I didn't know there was a best friend title on that." 

"I didn't either," Amy confessed, "Until he got a girlfriend." 

"I've been there," Ryan said. "Look, I'm not going to take up all his time. Trust me, I can't handle that. I need time alone just as much as anyone, probably more so. He's always going to be there." 

Amy's facial expression softened. "Can you promise that?" 

"I don't have to. You know it's true," Ryan replied. "It's Ephram." 

And with that Amy nodded, and saw the sincerity on Ryan's face. In the silence, the two girls made an agreement. To protect the one of the most important people in their life, and the same one they were both on the road to falling in love with … if one already wasn't. 


	22. Homecoming Plans

**Chapter Twenty-One – Homecoming Plans**

"Do we have to go? 

It had been a week and half since Colin and Amy's argument, and Ryan's attempt to make things okay with Amy. The two girls had managed to slip into their roles, and played them convincingly. Colin and Amy were back playing the happy couple and things appeared normal on the outside. And now, Ephram and Ryan were arguing over the issue of the upcoming Homecoming dance at lunch. 

"Yes we do!" 

Ephram groaned and pushed his lunch forward. "I suddenly don't have an appetite." 

"Oh come on, Ham," Amy said, "everyone goes to Homecoming. We're all going." 

"Come on, dude, you don't want your girlfriend to have to go alone." Colin chimed in. 

Ryan grabbed onto his arm and tugged gently on his sleeve. "I'm not one to beg, but pretty, pretty please?" She gave him puppy dog eyes, knowing as soon as he looked at her, he would cave in. 

_Don't look at her_, he thought. _Don't look at her and you'll stand your ground._ Ephram looked over and into those blue eyes, and he sighed and then smiled. "Ok, fine, I'll go." _Way to stand your ground._ "But it's only because of peer pressure. Weren't we taught not to give into peer pressure?" 

Bright looked up from his food. "Give it up, the chick always wins." 

Ephram looked over at Ryan and said playfully, "I'll have to agree with that one." 

"Hey! How many times have I sacrificed for your comics? I listen to you for hours and still don't know what you're talking about," she said. She looked deep into his eyes and leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. "Thank you, seriously." 

Ephram just shook his head as he pulled his lunch back in front of him. "You owe me." 

"Oh, I'll make it worth your while," Ryan said, suggestively. 

Amy cleared her throat. "Uh, Ryan, we should go dress shopping together." 

"Uh, sure," Ryan began. "Don't you have a dress already?" 

Amy shook her head. "I've been putting it off and having someone there would be fun and helpful. Plus, dragging Colin along isn't exactly his idea of spending an afternoon. So, we can help each other and those three can use the day as male bonding time, what do you say?" 

"Guys day!" Colin shouted, putting his arms up in the air. 

"Dude, I'm in," Bright said. They both turned to Ephram. 

"Ok, I guess I'm in. I don't know what else I would do anyway." 

Ryan smiled. "Sure, why not. I'll give Ephram a break for a day. Plus, he's not going to be allowed to see me in the dress until the actual night." 

Ephram suddenly got a confused look on his face. "Why not?" 

"I consider it, like not seeing the bride before the wedding day." 

"We're not getting married." 

"So." Ryan stuck her tongue out at him. 

He just rolled his eyes before smiling. "Whatever." 

"So we're on?" Amy asked. 

"Yea, we're on." Ryan replied, hoping to sound enthused. 

_This should be interesting_, both girls thought. They smiled at each other, in that forced, fake way. The boys, though, were too wrapped up in planning there "guys day" that they didn't notice. 

And it was probably better that way.


	23. Amy, Try Green, It Suits You Well

A/N: Out of boredom, I found dresses. I saved the images. You can see Ryan's dress at and Amy's at 

**Chapter Twenty-Two – Amy, Try Green, It Suits You Well**

Ryan was browsing through a rack of dresses. "Is homecoming here extremely formal, or more casual?" 

"It can go either way. Some people go all out, some don't," Amy said, "I didn't last year, but I'm going to go a little more this year." 

"I want a long dress," Ryan declared. "Every year, I wear a dress that reaches the floor, I can't change that." 

"Go with red," Amy said, "You look great in red." 

_Amy, try green, it suits you well_, Ryan thought. "I thought you were going to do red?" 

Amy shook her head. "I think I'm going to go more towards the blues this year." She sifted through a few more hangers until she gasped and pulled out a dress. "Ryan! Look at this, it's perfect for you." 

Ryan walked over to where the blond was standing, waving the dress around. She grabbed the hanger out of Amy's hands and examined the dress. It was a deep red and from the top of appeared to be a normal, sleeveless dress until you reached the bottom, where the material went off in all different directions, making it look like someone had taken scissors to the bottom part of the dress. It didn't look like it would reach the floor, but she didn't even mind. "Wow, this is amazing, I love it." 

"Go, go, try it on." 

Ryan made her way over to the dressing room. She removed her clothes and slid into the dress. She zipped it up and walked out of the room and out into the open, where there were mirrors all around her. She run her hands down the smooth material and smiled. 

"That looks amazing," Amy said. 

Ryan didn't hear her. She smiled at herself as she pictured in her mind the images she hoped to see at the upcoming dance. Arriving on Ephram's arm, taking the pictures, dancing, and just being able to hold him in her arms. She had never felt this strongly so fast, and she knew she was falling hard. 

There was something in his eyes, and she knew it. There was something in his eyes she had never seen in anyone else's. She was hypnotized by them. She twirled around in the dress at the thought of his eyes. They made her want to dance. They made her want to do a lot of things and she knew she was the victim of his eyes. 

"Amy, how long do you think it takes to fall in love?" Ryan asked as she spun around to Amy. 

Amy looked stunned at Ryan's question. "I don't know, at least a month, I think. You need at least a month to get used to each other." 

"You don't think it's possible to find someone and just know? And just fall in love? Like love at first sight?" 

"Are you trying to say what I think you're trying to say?" 

Ryan sighed. "Yea, I think I am." 

"Think you are what? Thinking what I'm thinking?" Amy said, "Or think you're falling in love?" 

"Both." 

Amy fell silent. She wasn't sure of how to reply to that, or if she even wanted to. "Love at first sight, huh?" It was best she could come up with. 

Ryan grinned. "Okay, so maybe, love at first sarcastic remark." 

Amy laughed, but lowered her gaze to the floor. She had been trying everything for the past three weeks to be happy for Ephram, because he was happy. But she was becoming increasingly miserable inside, which was making it even harder to hide. She decided to change the subject. "I still need to find a dress! You better be getting that one!" 

Ryan admired the dress again in the mirror. "Definitely." She started to head back to get changed, but turned around. "Like I said before, try green, it suits you well." 

Amy looked confused as she watched the closing dressing room door. "You never said that."


	24. Homecoming

A/N: Heyyy, okay, so I can't get the links for the dresses to work, so if you want them, just e-mail me. Thanks for all your continued support, I love you guys! And I made their homecoming in November, because in the show, it was entirely too late and my school's is at the end of November, so I just used that. 

**Chapter Twenty-Three – Homecoming**

They had decided to meet at Ryan's house before the dance, to eat and take pictures. Amy had become obsessed with the decorating the first time she had ever been inside the house, and had declared that the Homecoming, Prom, and Graduation would be taken there, along with any other events she found important enough. 

The five teens had the house to themselves. Amy, Colin, and Bright had already taken pictures with their families before coming over and Ryan had gone over to the Brown's for a little bit. Now they were all gathered in Ryan's big house getting ready to eat and take the final pictures. 

The five sat at the table, Bright at the end, with Amy and Colin and Ephram and Ryan on either side. 

"This is delicious," Amy commented. "Who made this?" 

"All of us, of course," Colin said. 

"No, not really," Bright interrupted, "Mostly Ephram." 

"I am proud of my mashed potatoes though," Colin replied. 

"Ephram's a great cook," Ryan said, "It was nice having him stuck with me for three days during the snow. I actually ate decently." 

Ephram blushed. And the conversation went on retelling the past two homecomings, with Ryan sharing stories of her homecomings back east. About fifteen minutes before the start of the dance, they finished up dinner and quickly cleaned up, before heading outside to Andy Brown's SUV, which he had let the teens borrow for the night. 

They arrived at the dance a little late, and quickly found a place to put their things. Amy and Colin went to socialize with people, and Bright soon made his way around the dance floor, talking with the girls. Ephram quickly found a chair and sat down and Ryan stood in front of him. 

"Please come dance?" 

Ephram shook his head. "I agreed to come, I never agreed to dance." 

"It was the fine print." 

"There wasn't a witness." 

"Please?" She stuck her lower lip and pouted. 

Ephram sighed. "Later?" 

"Okay, I can deal with later." Ryan smiled and sat down on Ephram's lap. 

The evening went on. Ryan was eventually drug out onto the dance floor by Bright. She didn't want to leave Ephram all alone on the side, but she didn't want to spend the whole night without dancing a little bit. Her and Bright were having a good time, she really didn't think he was that bad of guy, despite Ephram telling her about the bad blood the two of them used to have. 

Before any of them knew it, it was the last song of the night. Ryan left Bright to go find Ephram, but when she looked for him, he was gone. She looked around the room but didn't see him anywhere. Slightly confused, she walked over to where Amy and Colin were dancing. 

"Hey, have you guys seen Ephram?" 

The two looked at each other and they both shook their heads. 

"No, why?" Amy asked. 

"I went to go get him so I finally drag his ass out for a dance, and he wasn't there. I can't find him anywhere." 

Amy shrugged. Ryan sighed and walked away. She maneuvered her way through the many dancing couples. Giving up her search, she went and grabbed her things and decided to wait outside for everyone else. She walked outside and there she saw Ephram, sitting on the curb. 

She walked over him, unsure of what to say. "I thought I told you, prostitution is not a way to live your life." 

"To be a prostitute, you have to be on a corner, in skimpy clothes, standing up." He sounded angry and Ryan flinched. 

"Okay, so you're a depressed hooker, and you brought the wrong set of clothes." 

"Why aren't you inside?" 

"It was the last song of the night, and I wanted to dance with you. But you weren't there and when I couldn't find you, I figured I'd wait outside for everyone. And eventually, you had to come out, because it is your dad's car." 

"Why not dance with Bright, like you have all night?" 

"Is that what this is about?" 

"Yes," Ephram replied, quietly. 

Ryan sat down next to him. "I only danced with Bright because you didn't want to dance. I didn't want to piss you off by bugging you about it." 

"But-" Ephram began to protest, before Ryan kissed him. He smiled against her lips and kissed her back. She pulled away and put her head on his shoulder. 

"I've only got eyes for you Brown." 

"You wanna go get that dance?" 

Ryan laughed. "I hate to break it to you, but it's probably over. But I'll take a raincheck." 

"Ok, deal." 

Ryan got up and brushed herself off. "Come on, let's go round the troops. I'm tired and I want to get out of this dress." 

Ephram followed her and put his arms around her. "I could help you with that." 

Ryan laughed. "I'm sure you could." 

Just as they began to head back, they saw Amy, Colin, and Bright heading in their direction. The dance was over, but the night was still young … and waiting for more. 


	25. The Second Argument

**Chapter Twenty-Four – The Second Argument**

Amy and Colin lay on Amy's bed, arms wrapped around each other. Her parents had allowed Colin to stay for a little bit after the dance. 

"That was pretty wrong of Ryan, dancing with Bright. She was like all over him." Amy commented. 

"How was it wrong? Ephram didn't want to dance; she did, so she found someone to dance with." 

"Wouldn't you have cared if I just left you alone to go dance with another guy?" 

"Not if I didn't want to dance. If you did and I didn't, then I wouldn't care. Unless, of course, the guy was making moves on you. Was Bright making moves on Ryan? No. Ryan did nothing wrong. Case closed." 

"Case is not closed." 

Colin sat up. "Why are you making such a big deal out of this? Why do you care so much?" 

Amy sat up too. "You don't care that one of your friends was hurting tonight because his girlfriend was all over another guy?" 

"Amy, calm down. Ephram's fine. He and Ryan definitely looked like they worked it out. Yea, if she was all over some guy, I would be mad too, but she wasn't. So, I think you need to just get over it." 

"I don't like her." 

"Why? What did see ever do to you?" 

"She's not good enough for my Ephram." _Shit_, Amy thought. _Did I just say that?_

"_Your_ Ephram? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" 

"He's my best friend; I think I have a right to call him _my_ Ephram. He is mine, in a way. And I just want the best for him. I don't think she's it." 

"Whatever, Amy," Colin said, getting up from her bed. "You're being ridiculous. Ryan's a good person." 

"I think you should go." 

Colin was extremely angry. "What?" 

"I said I think it's time for you to leave." 

"Alright, whatever. Call me when you've regained your sanity." Colin turned and walked out of Amy's room, slamming the door behind him. 

Bright heard the noise and stuck his head out of his door. "Colin?" 

"Your sister is insane" was all he muttered as he walked past Bright and down the stairs. Bright walked out of his room and over to his sisters closed door. He decided against going in, instead put his ear up against the door to hear his sister's sobs. 

And Bright Abbott knew there was nothing he could do for her anymore.


	26. I'm Falling In Love With You

**Chapter Twenty-Five – I'm Falling In Love With You**

"In a way, you could say I got you out of your dress." 

"If you count the fact I got changed in your bedroom, yes, but if you mean you actually took it off me, no." 

"You're no fun." 

Ryan threw a pillow at Ephram. She was lying on his bed while he was lying on the ground, because she had pushed him off the bed earlier. "Guess who might be sleeping on the ground?" 

"Hey this is my house, my room, my bed!" Ephram got up and attacked Ryan, tickling her causing her to go into a loud fit of laughter. "Shh..Delia's asleep, I don't need her to come running in here." 

"You're the one who tickled me." 

"Yea, yea, make excuses," Ephram said. He laid back and Ryan moved next to him. He took his hand and ran a finger along her jaw line, cupping her face and kissing her gently. 

She kissed him back and moved underneath of him as he moved on top of her as the kiss deepened. She felt his hand make its way to her stomach, and soon under her shirt and she pulled away. 

"Ephram, I-" 

Ephram quickly removed his hand. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-" 

"No, it's just-" 

"I don't want to rush anything," Ephram said. He moved back to her side and pulled her close. "I'm sorry." 

"It's okay. I just don't want to push anything. I'm more the traditional kind of girl, believe it or not." Ryan said. "Ephram, can I ask you something?" 

"Anything." 

"Are you a virgin?" 

"Yes, I am," he replied. "Can I ask you something?" 

Ryan nodded. 

"Are you?" 

And she nodded again. 

"But you and Adam…?" 

"No," Ryan said. "We were together for half a year and I loved him so much, but it just wasn't right. I know it frustrated him, but he lived. Although, by now, he's probably found a girl who gave it up." 

"At least you have morals," Ephram said. "I respect that." 

"Thank you, for respecting me." 

Ephram kissed her gently and then she put her head on his chest. Soon, she fell asleep and Ephram just watched her. He loved watching her sleep, she looked like an angel. He couldn't believe it was only three weeks into their relationship, because it felt like so much longer. 

The emotion he held for her was so strong. He thought he had been in love with Amy, but it hadn't been like this. It wasn't this amazing feeling that he had now. Maybe it was because it was mutual, he guessed. 

He felt his eyes begin to close and knew he wouldn't be able to fight sleep for too much longer. "I'm falling in love with you" he whispered in a half sleep and Ryan smiled, because she was too.


	27. Bright's Reflections

**Chapter Twenty-Six – Bright's Reflections**

Bright lay awake, staring at the ceiling. He didn't even bother to look at what time it was, he knew it was the early morning, and he wouldn't be surprised if the sun starting to rise. 

He hadn't been able to sleep. All he could do was think, although most people would believe he didn't. Bright didn't mind their impressions, because he knew there was more to him than they would care to know. To them, he was Bright Abbott, good looking athlete but didn't possess more than two brain cells. To himself, he was Bright Abbott, trying to be a man but desperately wishing he was still a boy. 

The past year had been a rollercoaster, and just when things seemed to be settling down, and he thought he was finally getting off the ride, he was thrown back on again the day that Ryan Bailey moved to Everwood. It wasn't one of those fun rollercoasters either, it was the one that looks exciting until you actually get on it, and it makes you sick. He called this rollercoaster "Change." 

Bright knew that none of these changes affected him directly, aside from the fact he got his best friend back. Ephram Brown moving there affected Amy more than him. He was never really sure why he didn't like Ephram, although everyone would say because Ephram was "different" and Bright "saw him as a threat to Colin." He could say that the latter was true, but really, he was grateful for Ephram. Because Ephram helped Amy get through those months before and after the operation, and in ways that Bright knew he could have never helped her. 

And now, he can't help her again. Amy's heart is being torn in two, one direction leading to the one she's loved her whole life and the other to someone who's stood by her through the hardest part of her life. He tried to imagine being in her position, but he knew it was useless. He could never know how she felt. 

It was easy for him to say to her, "You have to let Ephram go" because he wasn't her. It was easy for him to tell her all the things that are so obviously clear and the things that she has to do, because he wasn't her. He didn't have the attachments, the feelings, and the thoughts that she possessed. 

He owed it to Colin to tell him what's obviously going on, but he couldn't. He knew he had to let Colin realize it for himself. He knew that if he told Colin, he might blame either him or Ephram, and he was looking out for them both. Bright didn't know when he started to consider Ephram a friend, but it was something that had happened over time. 

Ryan Bailey was causing a change, just like Ephram had when he moved here. But Bright didn't mind. Ryan was okay in his books, and he considered her to be a close friend. He knew he wouldn't have had as much fun as he did at Homecoming if it wasn't for her. She was attractive and sarcastic, just like Ephram. She had a vibrant energy, though, that made her intriguing. Bright probably would have been more attracted to her, if it wasn't for the fact that she was with Ephram. 

He wasn't like Amy. He knew what he couldn't have. 

Bright rolled over. Things had changed in Everwood and they were continuing to change. Unlike everyone else, though, he was willing to accept this change.


	28. Slipping Away

**Chapter Twenty-Seven – Slipping Away**

Ring. 

Ring. 

Ring. 

Amy was just about to hang up when she heard a tired voice on the other end. "Hello?" 

"Colin?" 

"Oh, Amy," Colin said. He looked at the clock. 9:03. _What normal people get up this early, especially the morning after Homecoming_, he thought. "Look, Ame, if you just want to fight some more, then don't bother. I'm not in the mood, and it's too early." 

"No, no," Amy said, clutching the phone tightly to her ear. "I wanted to apologize. I don't know what came over me." 

_Jealousy_, Colin thought. "What _did_ come over you?" 

Amy bit her lip. "I'm going to try to explain this, if you don't understand, then okay. It's like … you know how Bright gets with me, because I'm his sister and he wants the best for me?" 

"Yea," Colin replied. 

"It's like that. Ephram's like my brother and I just want the best for him, and I don't want to see him get hurt. Does that make sense?" 

"Yea, yea, totally," Colin said. 

"So, I'm sorry." 

"Yea, it's cool." 

"So, do you want to hang out later, just the two of us, we haven't done that in awhile." 

"You know, Amy, I'm really tired. I don't think I'm up for it today. But, I'll call you later, okay?" 

"Yea, yea, I understand. Bye Colin. I love you." 

"Yea, bye." 

Click. 

Amy stood with the phone to her ear for a few more seconds. _He didn't say it back_, she thought. She was about to put the phone back on the receiver but decided to call someone else instead. 

"Hello?" 

"Hi Dr. Brown, is Ephram there?" 

"Hello Amy, yes, he's right here. Ephram." 

"Hello?" 

"Hey Ham." 

"Amy, hey, what's up?" 

"Nothing, I just got off the phone with Colin…" Amy's voice grew quiet and she didn't finish the last sentence. 

"Are you okay?" 

"We got into a fight last night and," Amy began, until she heard another voice in the background. "Ephram, who's there?" 

There was silence on the other end as Amy made out pieces of "You kicked me in your sleep" and "You snore too loud." Amy sighed. "Ephram?" 

"What? Oh, sorry, Amy, hey, can I call you back? I have some business to take care of… Ryan you better run!" 

"Yea, yea, have fun," Amy said, defeated. She hung up the phone as she heard Ryan break out into a screeching laughter. She put the phone back on the receiver and walked back up to her room. 

She shut her door and leaned up against it. She slowly slid to the ground and broke down in sobs. It was the second time she'd broken down in 24 hours. Although to the outside world, Amy Abbott had everything - a cute, popular boyfriend, a slow, yet protective older brother, strict, yet loving parents, and a best friend who'd stuck by her through everything - she didn't see that. Instead, she saw all that slipping away. 


	29. Cracks In The Dynasty

**Chapter Twenty-Eight – Cracks In The Dynasty**

The holiday spirit was sweeping across Everwood as November turned to December. Things were slowing down. Amy and Colin had settled back into their roles as King and Queen of Everwood, although, there was obvious signs that forewarned their dynasty would come crashing down. 

It is now the second week of December, just an ordinary Monday at County High. 

"What do you want for Hanukkah?" 

Ephram raised an eyebrow. "I told you, we don't celebrate anymore." 

"Doesn't mean you can't start up again," Ryan said. 

"You're not even Jewish." 

"I had a friend back in Jersey that was." 

"Okay, I'll put it this way. I'm broke. I can't afford to buy you a Hanukkah gift, a Christmas gift, and a one month gift at the same time." 

"I'm not asking for one in return. I just thought it would be nice, to honor both my holiday traditions as well as my boyfriend's." 

"What are you two arguing about now?" 

Colin's voice caused the two to turn their heads as him and Amy approached. 

Ryan crossed her arms in front of her chest. "He won't let me buy him a Hanukkah gift." 

"Because we already have Christmas and the one month anniversary gifts," Ephram added. 

"You guys are celebrating one month? That's cute," Amy said. "I remember when we did that." 

"Yea, then you moved onto years and the names of your children," Ryan said, sarcastically. 

Ephram laughed, but all Amy and Colin could do was give weak smiles. There was an awkward silence until the bell rang. 

"I've got to go. I'll see you after class Colin," Amy said, giving him a kiss, before turning and walking away. 

The three started down the hallway. 

"What's up with you and Amy?" Ryan blurted out. _I really got to learn to use an inside voice_, she thought. 

"What do you mean?" 

"You guys just seem so…off. So not Mr. and Mrs. Everwood." 

"Yea, well, things change." 

Ephram put an arm around Ryan's waist. "Are you always so nosey?" 

"No, it's cool," Colin said. "I don't mind her asking." 

"So, how do things change?" 

Ephram rolled his eyes. "You'd make a great detective," he said under his breath. 

"Let's just say, someone can appear to love you on the outside, but deep down, you know they don't and haven't for a long time," Colin said, as he quickened his pace and left the couple standing still, confused looks on both of their faces. 

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ephram said. 

"Poor Colin" was all Ryan could say. She put her head down on Ephram's shoulder as the two walked in the same path Colin had stormed off in. 


	30. Ephram's Reflections

A/N: WOW, long time, no update. Don't kill me? I had stress at the end of school, and then one of my good friend's fathers died and I'm 15 and I work 35-40 hours a week and just the hectic-ness of life has got me...and I've been really bitter lately, so it's been hard to write lovey dovey, had to like choke this part out of me, but here goes nothing... 

**Chapter Twenty-Nine – Ephram's Reflections**

Ephram threw his bag down on his bed. Aside from Colin's somewhat distant attitude, the day had run smoothly. For one of the first times he moved to Everwood, he noticed he hadn't really thought about what could possibly be wrong with the happy couple. No, there was someone else on his mind. 

He knew he was smiling to himself again. He had been doing that lot lately. Just the sound of her name sent him smiling. You've turned into one giant butterfly, he heard his inner voice saying. "But I like being a butterfly," he whispered aloud to himself. 

People would call him crazy for talking to himself. He wasn't really crazy, just crazy over his girlfriend. He had gotten crazier and crazier over her with every passing day and faster than he could believe. In just four days, they were going to celebrate their one month anniversary, and Christmas was just a little over a week after that. He had gotten her a bracelet and necklace set, with a money loan from his father that he would be working off for awhile. He planned to give her the bracelet, and then the necklace. He could only hope she would like them. 

He made his way over to the piano. He placed his fingers on the keys and began to play. He wasn't exactly sure of what he was playing, but he just let his emotions come out in the notes. 

His eyelids closed over his blue eyes and he knew he was smiling because he could see her. It was the favorite image he held in his mind, of the first time he went over her house and found her playing guitar. She glowed whenever she played that instrument. It's like she completely lost all the haunting thoughts in her mind. 

He wondered if his mother was watching, and if she approved of Ryan. He knew that his father did, and Delia adored her. He believed she did.. well at least, he would like to believe she did. 

He lifted his hands from keys, satisfied with his brief release. He got up, sliding the cover back over the piano and walked over to the kitchen. He opened up in the fridge and took a can of soda out. He sat on the counter, lost in thought. 

He figured it must have been normal to start any relationship and think about love and wonder if that's where the relationship was going. And he had been thinking about it, a little bit in the beginning, and more and more with each passing day. With their anniversary coming up, he couldn't stop thinking about it. He knew back at Homecoming he was falling in love with her. 

Everything about her made him smile. The way she moved, her sarcastic remarks, and even the little disagreements they'd have over stupid things. She was smart and yet lacked common sense sometimes, she was immature and yet, her maturity was sometimes way beyond her years. She was funny and sweet and beautiful and … Ephram sighed. She was amazing. 

And Friday night, she was going to find out just how amazing she was.


End file.
